If you are a traveler and visit Paris, often you should know aboutLipp. Also, open in Geneva, Lipp is the address for a good choucroute (Sauerkraut)... seafood and shellfish, cassoulet, entrecote, bone marrow, terrine, veal tongue, veal escalope, and other traditional French specialties. It’s noisy, it’s very brightly lit, it’s popular, and because I know what to expect, I enjoy visit Lipp every time I have the chance to.
Welcome to the French Brasserie decorated with big mirrors, colorful tiles, yellow lanterns, shaped metal, and where tables are so close one to the other that you will be dining with the neighbor. Authentically French and serving traditional big-sized French food. In a city that sleeps early, Lipp opens all week until 1 am.
Expect to dine on small and low tables covered with paper the old French way. High chairs, old and wooden -not created to make you feel good; eat and leave quickly! One waiter runs around tables serving one after the other. Bread is served with a jar of mustard: at Lipp, mustard is a necessity and an important accompaniment of the choucroute. I tried to have the cassoulet, unfortunately, it contains a lot of garlic.
The menu is huge: oysters and seafood, shellfish and shells, tartares and raw meats, choucroutes, cold starters, hot starters, signatures, meats, poultry; from the sea. Lipp has it all!
I received my choucroute and forgot about everything else. I went into a tunnel, a white tunnel where I was blinded, it’s like my ears stopped hearing the noise, my eyes couldn’t see else than my plate. I went on a trip to taste. The choucroute is made of cooked sauerkraut cabbage served in a pot with sausage, boiled potatoes, meat, and a duck leg. Every ingredient in hand with its cousin helps create the perfect bite. Tender and sour cabbage, soft sausages, a hard textured slice of pork ham and chunks of red pork meat. It’s so yummy! I was craving choucroute for so long.
Escalope d’éléphant, Better know as escalope Milanese served with fries and a load of mustard is kind of addictive; it’s juicy and crispy on the sides. Giant in size, rich in content, and guaranteed to make you happy.
A huge menu and wait until you’ve seen their desserts! Huge! Fifty, yes, you’ve heard me right, more than 50 choices of desserts. Lemon meringue, apple crumble, savarin, mille feuille, mousse au chocolat, moelleux au chocolat and several ice cream cups. It’s important to order the millefeuille and Mont Blanc.
Watery millefeuille baked early this morning and lacking the needed crunch. It has a thick layer of sugar on top like cheap birthday cakes. The crème pâtissière on another hand, is very good. The Mont Blanc ingredients are excellent but unfortunately, the way it’s presented in hair-style filaments makes it hard to eat and unpleasant under the palate. The glazed candies chestnut on top is wow!
Happiness, happiness on a plate; I loved my dinner!
